Papermakers agree to new pay agreement

Amicus members employed in the papermaking industry have voted by a big majority in favour of a new pay agreement.

The deal, worth 2.9% on the nationally-agreed rates and 2.5% on locally-agreed pay agreements, was accepted in a ballot vote by a majority of almost 2 to 1, with 62% of members entitled to vote taking part in the secret ballot.

Tony Burke, Amicus assistant general secretary, said: “The deal is unique in that the ‘two-tier’ structure takes on board the views of Amicus members who argued that increases solely based nationally agreed rates of pay had seen them fall behind in terms of real earnings.”

Amicus, the T&G and the GMB are currently involved in detailed discussions with the Confederation of Paper Industries, aimed at modernising the papermaking national agreement, which covers working hours, holidays, shift patterns and social issues.